Many baby carriers or slings are known for use by persons, often a mother, for carrying a baby while leaving the hands at least partially free for other purposes. The baby carriers support the baby's weight other than by the person's arms.
Some such carriers are slings and may be as described and claimed in a variety of U.S. and foreign patents issued over a period from 1883 to at least the mid 1980's. Some commonly availably baby carriers such as the carrier of Napolitano, U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,264, issued Apr. 1, 1986 are designed to carry the baby in a sitting or at lease semi-upright position. Schroeder, U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,558, issued Sept. 4, 1979 discloses a somewhat more complex harness or carrier designed so that the baby may be carried in either the prone position or in a sitting or semi sitting position. Other U.S. patents such as Lancaster, U.S. Pat. No. 278,437, issued May 29, 1883; Turnbull, U.S. Pat. No. 755,554 issued Mar. 22, 1904; McFarlane, U.S. Pat. No. 982,376, issued Jan. 24, 1911; Neils, U.S. Pat. No. 2,628,358, issued Feb. 17, 1953; Thomson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,689,672 issued Sept. 21, 1954; Manalo, U.S. Pat. No. 2,804,249, issued Aug. 27, 1957; and Watson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,846,699 issued Aug. 12, 1958, all disclose various carriers for carrying a baby in the prone position. Of these, only Thomson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,689,672; Watson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,846,699; and Neils, U.S. Pat. No. 2,628,358 disclose pouches having side and end walls. Australian patents Nos. 118,192, published Mar. 9, 1944 and 132,910 published Sept. 18, 1947, both to Farrell, also disclose slings for carrying the baby in a prone position.
A variety of problems have been addressed in these earlier patents, such as the comfort of the person wearing the carrier, the security and position of the baby, the convenience of the harness, the provision of a carrier or sling which will open or disassemble into a blanket or pad on which the baby may be placed on a flat surface, and various other considerations.
However, none of the above prior art addresses the subject of breast feeding the baby while in the baby carrier. It is commonly acknowledged that breast feeding is a natural and advantageous way of feeding a baby, especially a very young baby. However, numerous problems have been encountered by mothers when travelling or carrying their baby on shorter trips in finding sufficient privacy to breast feed the baby without embarrassment. This problem has been sufficiently severe that some women may have chosen to bottle feed their babies in preference to breast feeding.
The clothing industry appears to have been more aware of the problem than the baby carrier industry. There are available on the market, brassieres with either front fastenings for easy access for breast feeding or with openable panels to allow access of the baby to the breast. Moreover, Knox et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,782 issued May 12, 1987 describes and claims a breast feeding garment which may be a blouse having an openable panel located over each breast. The panels may have the appearance of blouse pockets.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide a baby carrier in which the baby may lie during breast feeding and which may provide some privacy for the mother while the baby is so feeding.